It's hard to believe that it has been 21 years since the gelding Funny Cide, owned by the upstate New York partnership Sackatoga Stable and trained by Barclay Tagg, burst into the limelight by winning the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness. Just as remarkable is the fact that it was only four years ago that Tiz the Law, another New York-bred from the same connections, completed a personal Triple Crown for Tagg by winning the Belmont Stakes. That season, though disrupted by the pandemic, also saw Tiz the Law place second in the Derby.
Watching Tagg and his assistant and life partner, Robin Smullen, still dedicated to their work at the barn and at sales is a comforting sight. The duo is always on the lookout for the next Tiz the Law, paying careful attention to the horse's progeny. "It's nice to know him. It's nice to see that some of them, a lot of them, have the same attitude. Straightforward. No b.s.," Smullen commented. "They do their job, and they're not clowns; they're precocious."
Currently, Tagg and Smullen oversee a string of 17 horses at Saratoga. "We’re healthy. Still hanging in there. Still doing it," Smullen said. The only noticeable shift is that Tagg has entrusted Smullen to handle updates for their Saratoga string during a recent Barn Tour for Horse Racing Nation.
Current Horses in Training
Courtly Banker
Despite holding a maiden status through four starts, this 3-year-old gelded son of Central Banker has shown promise. Having gone unraced at 2, he has secured two third-place finishes and most recently finished second in a New York Stallion Series stakes on July 18 on the inner turf course. "He’s still a maiden," Smullen noted. "He’s run in the Stallion Series Stakes and he was second both times, so he’s an accomplished maiden. There’s a race for him on Aug. 30, a maiden race, so we really hope we can get a win with him here."
Leftembehind
This 4-year-old gelding by Accelerate had a slow start but found success at Saratoga last year. After going winless through six races, he broke through for Sackatoga on July 31, winning an allowance race by 1 3/4 lengths on a sealed, sloppy track, bringing his record to 2-for-15. “There is a race for him at the end of the month,” Smullen mentioned. “It will be a step up in class, so we’ll see. He won here last year, and he won here this year. Horses for courses, they say, right?”
Spirit of the Law
This 2-year-old colt, by Tiz the Law, had a rocky start debuting on a sloppy surface on Aug. 3, finishing seventh in a six-furlong maiden special weight race. The team remains optimistic, believing that the dirty track did not reflect his true talent. "The track was just a mess, so we’ll put a line through that one.”
Time and Tide
Tagg and Smullen have high hopes for this 3-year-old son of Australian sire Exceed and Excel. He has worked seven times in preparation for his initial race, including two breezes on turf. "He might have made it last week. He still has to breeze out of the gate. He’s got a nice pedigree, and he’s doing well. We like him a lot. It’s just taken him a little while to get to the races."
Tiz Dashing
Another juvenile by Tiz the Law, Tiz Dashing began working on June 12 and has followed a steady progression since then. Following a strong five-furlong breeze at 1:00.20 on Aug. 2, Smullen expressed confidence, saying, "He’s coming along nicely. He’s had some nice work. His pedigree suggests turf. There’s a race for him at the end of the month, one on dirt and one on turf. We’ll decide after we breeze him on the turf.”
Union Trail
This 4-year-old gelding broke his maiden in May in his seventh start and has a record of 1-for-2 since then. “He’s going to run back on Aug. 23 in a mile and three-eighths open company race. Unfortunately, the New York-breds typically don’t have races at that distance. A mile and an eighth is usually the best you’ll find, and those are rare. This is a mile and three-eighths on the turf, so hopefully, he can get a nice comfortable lead, slow the pace down, and still have something left at the finish. If he can handle the distance, it could open a lot of doors for him.”
As Tagg and Smullen continue their journey in the world of horse racing, their dedication and experience remain a source of inspiration for aspiring trainers and horse owners alike.